Tim Foster

"I like the technology, not just because it's fun to play with, but because it really does improve the bottom line," says Tim Foster. He joined the farming operation at Foster Farm in Trivoli, Ill., in 1976 after college. He explains that the data management control that Martin offers through modern technology programs has become an integral part of the farm's operation.

What started as a sort of "whistles and bells" exercise has become a great help for the decisions he must make to run the farm on a day to day basis. The data that he can easily access and view on the computer screen, he says, aids him in making fertilizer and seed purchase decisions. Variable seeding procedures available on the planters are a great help, he notes, adding that, as he gained more experience with yield mapping and overlaying the data, seeing "the hot spots in the field," and as he become more comfortable with the technology, he also became convinced that it works.

Martin, he notes, has a firm grasp on how the technology works, what it's supposed to do, and how to improve it if is doesn't do what it's advertised to do. We, too, are convinced that the technology can do exactly what it's supposed to do. We'll be happy to demonstrate its benefits. Are you interested in learning more about it and joining in the fun?